Idioms

Question 1

read between the lines

Answer 1

to try to understand someone’s real feelings or intentions from what they say or write. Ex.: It took me a while to get used to that, and read between the lines.

Question 2

the tip of the iceberg

Answer 2

a small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater. Ex.: These things aren’t exactly false, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg.

Question 3

make haste (old fashioned)

Answer 3

hurry up

Question 4

have egg on your face

Answer 4

If you have egg on your face, you look stupid because of something that you have done:
This latest scandal has left the government with egg on its face.

Question 5

to breathe a sigh of relief or to heave a sigh of relief

Answer 5

to stop worrying because something bad is no longer likely to happen
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she turned up.

Question 6

to burn the midnight oil

Answer 6

to work late into the night

“I have spent hours burning the midnight oil…”

Question 7

tenable

Answer 7

(of an opinion or position) able to be defended successfully or held for a particular period of time:
His theory is no longer tenable in the light of the recent discoveries.
The fellowship is tenable for (= lasts for) three years.

Question 8

paint a bleak/rosy, etc picture of sth

Answer 8

to describe something in a particular way:
She paints a rosy (= happy) picture of family life.

paint a bleak picture (=say that the situation is not hopeful): The survey paints a bleak picture of an ill and ageing population.

Question 9

to hog the limelight, to steal the limelight

Answer 9

It means to take the public attention more than you should

Question 10

to put/set the record straight

Answer 10

to show that something which has been regarded as true is in fact not true

Question 11

to tell the difference

Answer 11

to notice what is different between similar people or things

tell/see the difference between: How do you tell the difference between the kittens?

Question 12

to have the best of both worlds

Answer 12

to have the advantages of two different situations

Question 13

to face the music

Answer 13

to accept criticism or punishment for sth you’ve done to fit the description

Question 14

a downward spiral

Answer 14

a situation in which something continuously decreases or gets worse
Her life was in a downward spiral as she battled depression and addiction.

Question 15

to be over the hill (often humorous)

Answer 15

used for describing someone who is old and no longer useful or attractive

Question 16

to be on the spot

Answer 16

to be at a place where an event is happening

Question 17

to be in the running

Answer 17

to have a reasonable chance to be successful

Question 18

to be up to the mark

Answer 18

to be as good as the usual standard

Question 19

to be under the weather

Answer 19

to feel ill

Question 20

to have a bumpy ride/time

Answer 20

to have a difficult time:

She’s had a bumpy ride at work over the last few months.

Question 21

put your finger on sth

Answer 21

to know or understand something, and be able to say exactly what it is:
Something seemed to be wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Question 22

make a point of doing sth

Answer 22

to always do something or to take particular care to do something:
She makes a point of keeping all her shopping receipts.

Question 23

sleep like a log

Answer 23

infml to sleep very well, without being woken by any noises:
I slept like a log – I didn’t even hear the thunderstorm.
It’s been a hard day’s night, I should be sleeping like a log.

Question 24

get the wrong end of the stick

Answer 24

to not understand a situation correctly:

Her friend saw us arrive at the party together and got the wrong end of the stick.

Question 25

go to great lengths

Answer 25

to try very hard to achieve something:
Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
He’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants.

Question 26

blessing in disguise

Answer 26

something that seems bad or unlucky at first but causes something good to happen later:
Being laid off was a blessing in disguise – within a month I got a much better job.

Question 27

rough and ready

Answer 27

simple but good enough:

rough and ready accommodation

Question 28

finders keepers

Answer 28

said by a child who has found an object to the child who has lost it, to show that they intend to keep it

Question 29

a diamond in the rough

Answer 29

A person or thing with exceptional qualities or characteristics that cannot be seen from the surface.

The new employee initially seemed to lack confidence, but after seeing how hard he works, we realized that he’s a diamond in the rough and is really a great asset to the company.

Question 30

catch off guard

Answer 30

to surprise someone, esp. in a way that makes the person feel confused or uncertain:
The news caught her completely off guard – she didn’t know what to say.
The strength of the storm caught many residents by surprise.

Question 31

the final straw (the straw that broke the camel’s back)

Answer 31

the last in a series of unpleasant events that finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation:
Losing my job was bad enough, but being evicted was the final straw.
She’s always been rude to me, but it was the last straw when she started insulting my mother.

Question 32

to bite the bullet

Answer 32

to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation:
I hate going to the dentist, but I’ll just have to bite the bullet.

Question 33

wreak havoc

Answer 33

to cause great damage:
A powerful tornado wreaked havoc on the small village.
The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.

Question 34

hold water

Answer 34

If a reason, argument, or explanation holds water, it is true:
Her alibi just didn’t hold water.

Question 35

hand in (one’s) notice

Answer 35

To give a formal notification that one is quitting or resigning from one’s job. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. I’m planning on handing in my notice as soon as this project is finished.

Question 36

draw the line

Answer 36

to put a limit on what you will do or allow to happen, esp. because you feel something is wrong:
I’ll do whatever my company asks me to, but I draw the line when someone asks me to lie for them.

Question 37

play a joke/trick on sb

Answer 37

to confuse someone or cause problem for them:

I thought I heard something - my ears must have been playing tricks on me.

Question 38

talk the hind leg(s) off a donkey

Answer 38

to talk without stopping for a long time